Someone To Watch Over Me
by Coffee Sketch-a-Toon
Summary: After finding out that a certain teal-haired girl was possibly lost in the woods all alone, Max set out to look for her. Rated K-plus for moderate language and some peril. Cover Art by: Okamiini (Tumblr)
1. Damn It, Coffee

**Max**  
It was midnight in Camp Campbell, and for some reason, I woke up in the middle of my sleep. I wasn't so sure why...

...maybe the coffee messed up my body clock again. _Ugh!_

I looked around our tent for a moment where laid Neil and Nikki, but Nikki was not here. I started to think that maybe she went out to the forest to go for an adventure.

But every camper was already asleep. She shouldn't be going out alone and this isn't what she would normally do.

I would wake my friend Neil up right now but it's best not since after I ruined his sleep by kicking him in my sleep for the past few nights.

"Damn it, coffee" I muttered under my breath.

Without any more time to lose, I put on my goodie-blue-hoodie, slowly walked over Neil and got out our tent not before I brought a flashlight and Nurf's dagger (the one David and Gwen confiscated a long time ago) with me. I stole it back from the counselor's cabin but not to cause anymore mayhem, it was now for defense. I mean... would you fight back something dangerous unarmed?


	2. Four-prints

**Max**  
I made my way into the forest with my flashlight on. Luckily it wasn't too bright to startle the forest creatures. I tried calling out to Nikki. Alas, no answer from her.

"Damn it, Nikki. Where are you!?" I kept calling out.

I took a deep breath, tried to relax and continued my journey. As I was pointing the flashlight around my surroundings in the woods, I found a long trail of footprints on the ground.

Lucky. I was thinking about footprints. I bend down to check if the footprints were Nikki's but I guess the newly found hand prints already gave me the answer.

I rolled my eyes and chuckled. _Hmph, typical Nikki_  
I thought. I knew Nikki was running in all fours like an animal.

I quickly followed the foot and hand prints leading to Nikki. Along the way, I passed through some parts of the forest where Nikki dragged Me and Neil to climb trees, talk about some crap, and there were times Neil kept on whining about going back to the tent to do science stuff. Occasionally, Nikki would bring me to the woods alone to hang out since the campers who she was supposed to hang out with like Neil, Nerris, Harrison, Ered, Dolph, Preston, Nurf, and Space Kid, were occupied with their own company.

Why would Nikki treat me like I was someone special? I thought Nikki always looked up to the cool kid, Ered.

I snapped out of my thoughts as I suddenly felt a cold gust of wind sweeping in. And that was my cue to put on some speed, follow the trail and hope my best friend doesn't get into any trouble.


	3. In The Pit

**Nikki**  
When I woke up, I found myself trapped in a small but deep pit. I recalled climbing on a tree to sit on the branch so I can watch those quiet nights of quiet stars, but it snapped split second before I could process the branch cracking.

I felt an ache on my forehead and touched it. It felt swollen and I probably had a bruise too.

What's worse was I had a scraped knee on my right. It was stinging bad so I plucked some leaves off the broken branch and wrapped my knee to seal up the wound.

"Ouch"

I look to the top of the pit and saw the night sky. _No biggie_.

"I am a nature girl and no pit is going this one!" I said to myself as I tried to climb out of the damn pit several times but I kept falling after each and every attempt. I didn't care about dusting myself off the dirt.

Then, I tried calling out for help too but no one could hear me since none of my fellow campers/friends were in the forest at this hour.

Then a drop of water fell out of the sky and landed on my head.  
I realized it was starting to rain and I sat leaning against the wall of the pit.

"That's just great. I wish I should have asked Max to come with me!" I muttered to myself. If I knew Max since we were ten, he hated being dragged off his sleep or his free time to go do something pointless.

I curled up into a ball. I felt tears spilling out of my eyes as I kept squeezing my wound. I started crying and I felt cold and lonely.

_I wanna go back to camp._

I didn't notice the rainwater beginning to flow from outside of the pit and someone was hovering over the pit.

**"NIKKI!"**


	4. Help Has Arrived

Without any delay, Max quickly found a long vine, tied its end to the nearest tree trunk and tossed the other end into the pit where Nikki could use it to climb out.

"Nikki, quick! Grab the vine!" The blue hoodie teenager yelled into the pit for his best friend.

Nikki limped towards the vine but each step she took made her winced in pain.

Fortunately, Max observed Nikki's movements and his heart sank with guilt. He wished he could have found her sooner, but now her fluffy teal hair was ruffled, her forehead had formed a hump, and her right knee was almost red all over.

Max instantly climbed down the pit through the vine to Nikki as fast as he could. Poor Nikki hit the mud while Max was on his way down.

He finally made it to Nikki and gently helped her up. She looked awfully bad and she was trembling due to being covered in cold mud.

"Nikki! Are you okay!?" Max held her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes, her right eyelid was partially covered by the hump. His expression was full of mild concern.

"M-Max. I can't w-walk... and I'm c-c-cold" Nikki said through her trembling hoarse voice. She hugged Max with will full force as he felt her shivered violently and warm muffled wailing tears on his chest. Max embraced her and rubbed her back to comfort her. In process, Max snuck his hoodie off though himself till Nikki was now wearing it so she won't catch cold. All Max was wearing under his hoodie was his yellow t-shirt.

Nikki was about to say something until Max spoke up.

"We will talk about this when we go back to camp. Right now..."

He drew out the dagger and ripped one of his jean legs until knee level and wrapped it around Nikki's scraped knee.

"...we're gonna get out of this shit hole and run back to camp because now the rain is going to piss like hell!" Max finished as he wrapped up the wound.

Nikki's magenta eyes grew as she wiped her tears and a small smile formed on her lips. If there was one thing she loved about Max was his old tactics but it was kinder instead of meaner this time.

_Ever since that day..._

Her thoughts her cut off as she noticed Max bent down with his back facing Nikki, indicating that he was going to give her a piggyback ride.

"Hop on. Quick!" Max said firmly.

With an obliged nod, Nikki took a limp and embraced his waist and neck as she buried her face into his left side his back.

Max, with Nikki holding on to his back, started mountain climbing out of the cold muddy pit and they were almost at the top.

Suddenly, the other end of the vine outside at the trunk snapped, sending the teenagers en route to plummet back into the pit.


	5. Section Six - Subsection 'Gamma'

The rope suspended once more in split second before the pair could fall to their demise. Someone was now pulling them out but it wasn't the time for Max and Nikki to ask questions. They were saved now.

As they finally got out of the pit, Max and Nikki sat up looking for their saviour and it turns out, it was a certain yellow turtle neck brainiac boy.

"Neil!?" Max and Nikki shouted in unison.

"Damn right, it's me! What the hell were you guys doing out here!?" Neil with now fogged up glasses he wore, hysterically scolded the duo but he was also worried about their safety.

Neil treated them like his family. Even better, Nikki was now his adopted sibling after Candy and Carl got married, as for Max, he treated him like his brother because they and Nikki were a family of misfits that got each other's backs.

Max and Nikki both looked down in shame and before the overly grown-haired boy could start to explain, Neil cut him off short followed by a bright flash of lightning that struck through the dark blue with light orange cloudy sky then a loud thunder which had scared the living souls out of them. The rain was now getting louder and more heavier that it got the three heavily soaked.

"We got to go back to the mess hall now! David and Gwen moved everyone there from our tents because they are now useless to the bloody monsoon season!" Neil yelled. Max carried Nikki up on his back once again as they started running back from the forest to the camp as fast as their legs could carry them through the storm.

Once they reached there, they quickly barged into the mess hall where all the campers had set up their camping beds with large comforters given each by the counselors to survive the weather. Max, Nikki, and Neil were a mess now as their bodies chattered violently. Nikki was worse as she was burying her face into the back of Max and she wouldn't let go. She was mute the entire time too, but Max wouldn't blame her. She had no energy or mood to speak.

The campers noticed them and they all exclaimed in relief.

"Guys, you're all back!" Space Kid cheered. He was still wearing the helmet.

"What the hell happened to you guys!?" Preston shrieked hysterically.

"Can I make you guys some elixir to cure you all from the cold?" the wizard girl Nerris chirped.

"GUYS!" Neil shrieked until the entire hall stood silent. Now he was speaking for Max and Nikki now since they were catching their breaths after the run.

"It is weird and nice that you cared for us, but we need to see David and Gwen now. Nikki's hurt!" The campers gasped with concern as they turned to see their wounded friend in a blue soaking wet hoodie sitting on Max. Nikki was now sneezing very badly from the cold.

Max thought Nikki's sneeze was cute, but he quickly snapped out of it for he knew it was insulting to think about that while she was in a life and death crisis.

"Give her some space, you guys. I'm taking her to the counselors." Max ushered the campers out of the way as Neil guided them to the counselors cabin.

* * *

"Aw, how sweet!" Preston gushed after the trio was out of sight.

"_Was_? Candies are now a generalized term?" the german accent average sized teenager Dolph asked curiously.

"No, you little nincompoop! Don't you see? The grumpy knight in shiny armor and his faithful yellow nerdy steed saved the damsel in distress!" Preston said dramatically.

"WE ALL KNOW THAT MAX AND NIKKI HAD IT BAD FOR EACH OTHER A LONG TIME AGO, PRESTON!" All the campers groaned at him in unison.

"E-he-he, right. I thought you guys didn't know" Preston chuckled sheepishly, with his cheeks red full of embarrassment .

"You know, that has got me thinking of a cartoon about a miner who saved a princess who fell from the sky" Dolph thought out loud. "I know that's has nothing to do with Max and-"

"Oh my God! You watched it?" Ered asked Dolph, suddenly very interested to share her interests with him.

"_Ja_. It was sweet"

"When I watched it with my dads, they would not stop crying their eyes out because of the way the miner treated the princess-"

Preston and the campers were baffled as they were witnessing the scene unfold. Ered and Dolph were chatting away and laughing with each other.

Preston leaned his head towards his friends.

_**" I can see what's happening "**_ Preston started singing.

"Stop, Preston. Just. Stop" Nurf the giant interrupted him, irritated by his drama shenanigans.

* * *

Finally, they made it to the door and Max knocked it a few times before the door was busted open by Gwen who was wearing a raincoat. She was about to leave to find the three kids.

"Holy shit! David! Max, Nikki, and Neil are here!" Gwen shouted back into the cabin.

"Kids!" David popped out from the cabin and before the counselors could talk, Max quickly interrupted them.

"Not now! Hurry!" He gently helped Nikki down and helped her walk into the room. "Nikki's scraped her right knee and she is getting cold!" Gwen nodded and helped Nikki into the room as she will be patching her up.

The two boys were now left with David. "Are you kids okay?" David asked Max and Neil with concern. "We're fine, Camp Man. Just caught a damn cold, that's all!" Max replied with his half-usual old attitude while he was rubbing his arms to heat himself up a little bit.

But now, when David looked down to Max, his experession changed from worry to stern. Only Max knew what that look really meant. Max stared at David and swallowed a lump. The happy-go-lucky counselor always gave him the look whenever he suspected Max plotting to cause a mayhem when he was a kid.

David finally broke the fifteen second tension and spoke to him firmly.

"Good. Max, get yourself and Neil cleaned up. After this, you and I are going to have a talk in the office, young man"

Max knew he was in trouble now. Only God know how it would turn out.


	6. MomGwen-Dadvidly Doo

**"You snuck out of your tent!"**

The thirteen year old winced.

**"Letting one of your fellow campers be on your tail!"**

Max almost sunk his head into his own collarbone.

**"And above all..."**

_"Shit, I'm going to get detention" _Max internally screamed_._

"You boys rescued Nikki tonight in the forest" David's voice returned back to his happy self once again as Max rose his head up and adjusted his posture on the chair that was in front of David's desk in the counselors office.

"I'm proud of you Max" said David.

"You mean it?"

"Yes. But I'm mad at the fact you broke one of Camp Campbell's safety protocols; report to the counselors if there is a missing camper" David frowned_, _then his face soften. "Also, you had me and your mother worried sick. This year's monsoon season is massively heavy and you kids could have died of common cold. You can't just run out there without informing us" Max looked at the ground sheepishly.

"He's right, little shit" Gwen said as she entered the office and shut the door. She was wearing a sweater and a tracksuit to keep off the cold temperature. She even brought two more sets for her married husband, and her adopted son. She handed one to David, and the other to Max not before she had an urge to give what mothers give their child, a kiss on the the forehead.

"Gwen, no. We're still not there yet" Max read her mind as he said, dead-panned. She gave a goofy grin at Max.

Honestly, he was still trying to get used to his new family and it takes time. Six months ago, his biological parents were arrested and locked up whereas they were abusive and committed crimes of money laundering. If Max didn't have friends like Ered, her dads would not occasionally stalk the people whom their daughter hanged out with and ran into his parents' intel. The FBI agents eventually told Max, David, and Gwen about the incident until the camp man declared that he and Gwen would take custody.

Ever since Max grew up acquainted to his new family, he had changed a little, maybe some of him had change despite his old attitude still being intact but in the good way that he was still Max.

"How's Nikki?" Max asked as his soft expression glanced up to the tall woman. Gwen bent down to his level and brushed up his hair to check his body temperature.

"She's fine. Just having a light fever. I patched her up and sent her to the mess hall" Gwen grumbled. "Thank God, she didn't kill herself. Her knee will take a damn week to recover"

"Why the hell would she go out there in the middle of the night all by herself?" Max muttered to himself. Gwen finished checking his temperature with adigital thermometer that displayed a green **36.1°C** and ruffled his poofy hair.

"That's what I was asking her. She told me that she was getting some fresh air" she said.

Max responded with a unamused eye roll. "Oh, don't we all?" he said in a lame expression.

"She said she was thinking, but she didn't say what was it, and she said she wanted to see you" Gwen finished.

Max wanted to check on his best friend and that was a coincidence.

David stood up after checking his phone and wrapped his arm around Gwen.

"You know Max, maybe you can talk this out to Nikki. She's your friend" David beamed. "I checked the forecast and the rain is going to last throughout the whole day"

"But there will be no outdoor activities for the campers, is there?" Gwen asked.

"Nope. We are having Lazy Day. We are going to be indoors and have our free time until the rain subsidies!" David squealed happily.

_"Finally. We hadn't gotten this much of free time before"_ Max thought.

Gwen let a yawn as she was now tired. "All right, you little shit. Let's call it a night and get your ass to bed in the mess hall. I don't wanna be late for cooking breakfast for your friends" she said as she ushered him out of the office while David was locking up the room as they exit.

"Wasn't that supposed to be the Quartermaster's job?" Max asked Gwen in a puzzled stance.

"I need to make sure that Neil does not drop one of his shitty experiments in the food"

"Okay"

"Max" David called. "I forgot to tell you that while we were trying to move all the beds to the mess hall, your bed got blown away by the storm" he told him apologetically.

"It's fine. I can sleep on the floor" Max smirked turning to leave.

"Actually the campers volunteered to share their beds with you. So you can pick a camper of your choice"

Max shuddered at thought of sharing a bed with these campers. Mostly he thought of Space Kid's endless night talks about space and Dolph's pesters about who was his camp crush.

"Good night, Max"

"G'night. Love you guys" Max hugged David and Gwen before he left and made his way to the mess hall through the new small hallway.

Max looked around the renovated building and smiled. He was glad that his new parents finally had enough funds to renovate and extend the headquarters. They were still working on making new blocks of dormitories for a new line of campers.

That was why the mess hall which was a little large now, was the best place to temporarily start with for slumber parties.


	7. Good Night, Bed Time

Max, now in his comfy tracksuit and sweater, walked into the mess hall where all the dining tables and benches were stacked up and set aside against the wall to make room for the campers to set their camp mattresses.

But the mess hall was dim lit and quiet. All the campers were fast asleep all snuggled up in their comforters especially Neil, since he was tired of tonight's commotion.

Max thought the campers' night chat wore them down. He shrugged as he walked between the aisle of beds.

* * *

**Nikki**  
I lay down on my bed, wearing a pink and blue striped sweater given by Gwen. I loved how Gwen designed those stripes. It almost resembled the ones I wore in a campfire story like I imagined.

I kept staring at the ceiling of the mess hall as I waited for Max. I told Gwen I wanted to see him, but I never told her the reason because I want to thank him for saving my life, furthermore I want to tell him that...

_Come on, Nikki. Don't be such a coward._

My thoughts were cut short when I felt soft footsteps patting the ground as I immediately sat up hoping it was Max walking down the aisle of beds.

I grinned as I saw it was really Max with his new brown sweater. I observed his big ruffled hair as it bounced with every step he took that made me blush because I found it cute.

I waved at him to come over because I was going to share my bed with him since his was whistled away by the o'l storm.

**Max**  
I saw Nikki waving at me fanatically. She kinda looked better now because she was smiling like a mad woman.

"MAX!" Nikki whisper-screamed a bit loud. Thank God she didn't wake up the others because they were tired like hell.

Nikki's bed was right at the end of the row. I walked towards her as she shuffled at the right side of the bed. I took a good look at the space on the bed, it looked like both of us could occupy the whole thing, but my face heated up at the idea of sharing a bed with my best friend who was a girl.

I just stood there and stare at her dead-panned. I was planning to find for my own place to sleep which was the floor but then I came across that. This was stupidly awkward but Nikki's expression didn't change as she was looking up at me, patting the space on the mattress she reserved for me. I rolled my eyes and ignored her inviting gesture.

"Are you okay, Nikki?" I asked as I looked at her seriously, but Nikki was still patting the space and her magenta eyes intensely grew at me. I grew irritated a bit. Was she even listening?

"Good Lord, Nikki! I asked you that are you okay" I whispered-yelled at her.

Nikki crossed her arms and looked away from me for a moment with her nose up with a frown. "Max, I will not talk to you until you come down here and sit next to me" she pouted. "Besides, if David finds you sleeping on the floor, he will have you sleeping with him and Gwen"

"Ugh!"

I made a hysterical gesture that looked like I was going to strangle her to death. But now it was no point arguing in front of the sleeping campers so I went to sit on the left side of the bed. It was hard to keep a distance because I was already at the edge of the mattress.

* * *

"Okay, Nikki. I'm here now. Happy?"

"Very" Nikki said and smiled with pride.

Max looked at his best friend at a moment. She was wearing a pink and blue striped sweater and she let her pigtails down as her hair length was until her neck. Max's face was expressionless as he was still staring at her with his rosy cheeks.

"Max"

Max snapped back to reality when Nikki called him.

"Are you okay?" Nikki asked as she looked at Max. Max regained his composure and answered. "I could ask the same to you"

Nikki smiled wider as she uncovered the comforter and revealed a decorated bandage on her exposed knee for Max to see.

"I feel great, Max" said Nikki as she covered back her legs. Max let out a sigh of relief.

"What happened back there, Nikki? Why were you out in the forest" Max asked her of tonight's incident.

"I couldn't sleep. So I thought why not I could go take some fresh air for a while and maybe play around a bit" said Nikki.

Max thought about it for a while and looked at her with a frown. "Look, the next time you planned on going out at night, have someone to accompany you"

"But our friends were sleeping, and I didn't want to disturb them"

"Why not ask me? I'm your best friend"

"But you always get pissed when anyone tried to wake you up" Nikki replied with a timid tone as she looked down and played her fingers.

Hearing that answer made the boy flinched in bewilderment. "I never held that against you!" He retorted. Nikki looked up at him once again.

"Nikki, the point is that if it wasn't for me, you would be rotting in that scary shithole a few hours ago. And I would never forgive myself if I wasn't there for you earlier" said Max with his head down.

Nikki froze for a moment when she knew what Max said was genuine, then she tackled Max into a hug. "Thank you, Maxxie. I was scared when I was there" Nikki's soft, sad voice made Max's heart sunk as he returned the warm embrace for what it seemed like it lasted forever. He felt awfully bad for her.

They pulled away and as Max eyed her forehead, he was about to ask her about her hump, but she beat him to it.

"That, my friend, doesn't hurt anymore. It really itches though" Nikki said with her returned enthusiastic voice.

Max chuckled at his friend. "Don't do shit to it. It's not a zit!" he told her in his half-serious tone.

Nikki rolled her eyes. "I know"

Max looked at a foggy window. Still raining, only now with soft thunders. "We should sleep now" Max told Nikki as they proceed to lie down on the bed. Max was lying facing left with his back facing Nikki, but hers was in the same position, looking at Max. He doesn't have a comforter with him and in Nikki's point of view, he was gonna catch a cold.

"Max?" Nikki hesitated but called him softly.

"Hmm?" Max answered with a tired tone.

"..."

"Can you turn around for a while?"


	8. It Ends With Elegance

Max didn't ask why. Maybe she wanted to talk more, he thought.

Max turned around and his eyes met Nikki's. Max's breathing stopped as he saw how close their faces were. Nikki's magenta eyes was full of stars that made Max blushed hard. Max didn't know what to do. Part of him wanted to turn back but he stayed put.

A sigh escape her lips as she smiled at Max. She stared at him for a moment before asking.

"What am I to you, Max?" Her tone was soft as she half-whispered. She looked at him intently as her smile disappeared, waiting for his answer.

Max took a breather once again. He wondered why she was asking these questions. Was it out of self-doubt? He thought. Has she forgotten after all they have been through?

Things were getting cheesy at the point where he held on to Nikki's hands gently.

"You are my best friend, Nikki. You helped me go through a lot when my former parents didn't give a shit about me. We made a lot of mayhem in this former hell-hole together when we were ten. You even put up with me even though I was mean. You are 'you', Nikki. A crazy, passionate, and adventurous nature girl. You went on your own standards even though The Flower Scouts hated you for not being girlish"

Nikki's heart was beating fast when he said all of the nicest things about her.

"Nikki, I want you to know that you shouldn't doubt yourself. There is nothing wrong with you, and if anyone made you feel that way, I will give them a piece of my mind " Max said with determination.

Nikki suddenly started giggling at him. Max found it adorable and he felt content whenever he made Nikki feel better.

"Max, you're sweet" she said in between her giggles. "I try" Max replied sarcastically and rolled his eyes while trying to hide his blush.

"But that's not the only reason why I'm asking you this" Max looked back at her and gestured her to continue. Nikki took a deep breath and exhaled. "Max, do best friends hold hands?" Nikki asked.

That question had caught him off guard as he froze, eyes wide open. He looked at where his hands were. He tried to snatch his hand off Nikki's, but it was trapped in her grip.

His scared reaction made her giggled a bit more louder. "Silly" She remarked as she leaned over to him and laid her soft lips on Max's forehead which made him froze again. His heart began pounding violently as he stared at Nikki beet red in half-bewilderment and half-puzzled. Their hands still clasped together.

"Max, I like you. I liked you ever since you came to Camp Campbell and tried to tear it down but saved it" she whispered and looked at him with her glossy eyes.

Max looked at her and he finally came to his senses. For all this time, he did not know how he felt for his best friend. Whenever he hanged out with Nikki, he would feel happy, he would feel a bit shy around her, and he would blush whenever Nikki held his hand and go on for adventures with Neil and he never let go.

"And it's okay if you don't feel the same way. But I don't want to ruin our friendship" said Nikki as a tear was threatening to spill out of her eye. She thought she would get rejected, so she was prepared.

Before Nikki could continue, she was pulled into a tight embrace. Max brushed back her soft green hair and planted a sweet lingering kiss on her swollen forehead, causing her to gasp into his chest.

"I feel the same way"

Nikki pulled away for a moment to meet his brown eyes. His genuine smile gave her hope.

"You really mean it, Max?"

"I really like you too. I mean it. I never thought I would feel this way for you until now" Max said with his face flustered.

Nikki gazed into his eyes lovingly and nestled into his neck, hands intertwined with his, and her hair brushing against his chin. Max sunk into the scent of her hair as it smelled like autumn leaves.

"Can we stay like this, Maxxie?" Nikki looked up to her now boyfriend with her eyes begging him. To answer the question, Max simply leaned his forehead against hers, drawing a wide smile on Nikki's face.

She sat up for a moment to unfold her comforter, which was big for two sleepers the entire time. It made Max wondered why she was the only camper who had a big comforter. Nikki pulled up the comforter to cover both her and Max. She laid back in the same spot next to him.

"Courtesy of Gwen" Nikki said.

"She knew about this, did she?" Max feared of another possible blackmail from his new mother. Old habits can die hard.

Nikki giggled.

"She didn't know that happened tonight. I only told her that I had a crush on you, and I never told her what I would do" Nikki reassured him. "Maybe we ran out of comforters so Gwen gave me a clean one she and David was gonna use" she added.

Max let out a yawn, feeling tired.

"Whatever. Let's hit the sack" he said exasperated. Nikki felt tuckered out too. They tried to get comfortable in their giant comforter. She scooted closer to Max and leaned her forehead against his while Max slowly pulled her close to him and played with her hair.

"Good night, Maxxie" Nikki whispered affectionately. Max gave a quick kiss on her nose. He didn't mind the pet name she was already using in front of everyone for a long time whenever she teased him about being scared or mad.

"Night, Niks"

The two teenagers drifted off into deep warm slumber, cuddled up together after enjoying the peaceful backgrounds of cool rain pouring down and gentle noises of thunder. A _**Montmartre Strings**_ music would help well in romantic lullabies but the camp didn't not have a working radio or hi-fi system. Nikki was unconsciously sleep-humming to a certain song her mother, Candy, once sung her to sleep during one of the bedtimes.

Unbeknownst to them, the rest of the campers were awake eavesdropping the whole moment. They proceed to drift off to sleep, happy for Max and Nikki being together. Neil made a mental note to interrogate Max the next morning regarding whether he really cared for his little sister. After all, a family member has to make sure that he does not break a woman's heart.


End file.
